Shevrin D. Jones (born October 12, 1983) is an American politician from the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He was elected to the

Florida State Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopte ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

to represent the 35th District. He previously was a Democratic member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing the 101st District, which included southeastern

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

since 2012. Jones is the first gay person and first LGBT Black person elected to the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...

. Term-limited from his position, he ran for the Florida Senate in a crowded primary for District 35 facing no

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

opposition in the general election.

Personal life

Jones was born in

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...

. He attended

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2006. After receiving this degree, he returned to

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

, where he taught

Advanced Placement Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their ...

Broward County Public Schools Broward County Public Schools is a public school district serving Broward County, Florida, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, sixth largest public school system in the nation. During the 2016–2017 sc ...

, and then worked as a Biology instructor at

Florida Atlantic University High School Florida Atlantic University High School (FAU High School) is a public, laboratory, dual-enrollment high school located on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University. It is the only high school in the United States to offer full-time ...

. In 2017 Jones obtained a Masters of Education from Florida Atlantic University. In 2022, he earned a PhD in Educational Leadership from the same institution. In 2010, he ran for a seat on the

Commission in District 8, running against

Barbara Sharief Barbara Muhammad Sharief (born November 7, 1971) is an American politician and nurse. Serving as a Broward County commissioner from 2010 - 2021, she was appointed mayor from 2013 to 2014, and again from 2016 to 2017. She is the county's first Afr ...

and Angelo Castillo. Jones attacked Sharief and Castillo in a mailer over the fact that they would have to resign their positions in local government if they were elected, declaring, "Both of my opponents are incumbent politicians who have abandoned their oath to serve us for the full term for which they campaigned. Now the taxpayers of

Pembroke Pines Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

and Miramar will have to pay thousands more for special elections needed to replace them. That's just wrong." Jones came in third place, receiving 17% of the vote to Sharief's 62% and Castillo's 21%. In early October 2016
Jones abruptly lost the ability to walk
after he ruptured part of his lower spinal cord during an accident at the gym, causing a nerve injury that his doctors told him should have left him paralyzed. After emergency surgery, a follow-up procedure and rigorous physical therapy, Jones was able to walk again after seven weeks with assistance from a cane. In 2018, Jones came out as gay, thus becoming the first LGBT black person to serve in the

Honors and awards

Top 40 Under 40 Most Powerful in South FloridaSenator Jones served on President Barack Obama’s College Promise Task ForceRecently appointed to President Biden’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)Florida Young Democrat of the YearTop 30 Under 30 Successful Black MenYoung Elected Officials Network, Leadership Florida Connect - Class 32Leadership Broward Class 27Millennial Action Project’s Florida Future CaucusBroward Parent Teachers Association’s Legislator of the YearCongressional Political Institute HonoreeICABA’s 100 Most Accomplished Caribbean AmericansGold Coast Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40,”Legacy Magazine’s South Florida's “50 Most Powerful and Influential Black Leaders”

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, after the

districts were redrawn, Jones opted to run in the newly created 101st District, which encompassed the cities of Hollywood, Miramar, Pembroke Park, Pembroke Pines and West Park. He initially was set to face Pembroke Park Mayor Ashira Mohammed and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

City Commissioner Beam Furr in the Democratic primary, but both Mohammed and Furr dropped out. As such, Jones won election to the House unopposed in both the primary and general elections. Jones subsequently ran unopposed and was re-elected every two years until 2020 when he ran for Florida Senate District 35 due to term limits. Serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 - 2020, Jones championed meaningful bipartisan legislation, including two consecutive bills to secure dignity for incarcerated women; statewide expansion of a clean syringe exchange program; safety and oversight for athletic coaches for youth athletic teams; and ensuring transparency and accountability via State-wide police body cameras. Jones was the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Deputy Whip from 2014 - 2018.

Notable Legislation

'
HB 461 - Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students (2013)
'' ''General Bill by Choice & Innovation Subcommittee and Rooney (CO-SPONSORS)'' Requires DOE to develop model communication plan to be used in development of IEP for deaf or hard-of-hearing students; requires DOE to disseminate model to each school district & provide technical assistance. '
HB 93 - Law Enforcement Officer Body Cameras (2016)
'' ''General Bill by Jones and Williams, A. (CO-SPONSORS)'' Requires law enforcement agency that permits its law enforcement officers to wear body cameras to establish policies & procedures addressing proper use, maintenance, & storage of cameras & data; requires such policies & procedures to include specified information; requires agency to ensure that specified personnel are trained; requires that data be retained in accordance with specified requirements; requires periodic review of agency body camera practices; exempts recordings from specified provisions relating to interception of wire, electronic, & oral communications. '
HB 1065 - Expunction of Criminal History Records (2018)
'' ''General Bill by Criminal Justice Subcommittee and Eagle and Jones (CO-SPONSORS)'' Expunction of Criminal History Records: Providing that a person receiving a judgment of acquittal or not guilty verdict is eligible to have his or her criminal record expunged; revising the circumstances under which the Department of Law Enforcement must issue a certificate of eligibility for the sealing of a criminal history record, etc. '
HB 171 - Infectious Disease Elimination Programs (2019)
'' ''General Bill by Health Quality Subcommittee and Jones and Plasencia (CO-SPONSORS)'' Authorizes county commission to establish sterile needle & syringe exchange program; prohibits operation of such program under certain conditions; provides requirements for operation of such program; requires collection of data & submission of reports; provides for immunity from civil liability under certain circumstances; authorizes continuation of specified pilot program under certain circumstances. '
HB 49 - Dignity for Incarcerated Women (2019)
'' ''General Bill by Criminal Justice Subcommittee and Jones and Mercado (CO-INTRODUCERS)'' Requires state correctional facilities to provide incarcerated women with certain healthcare products; provides requirements for male correctional employees in certain circumstances; requires documentation of certain incidents involving male correctional employees. '
HB 1259 - Dignity for Incarcerated Pregnant Women (2020)
'' ''General Bill by Justice Appropriations Subcommittee and Criminal Justice Subcommittee (CO-INTRODUCERS) Jones and Mercado'' Prohibits the placement of pregnant prisoners in restrictive housing or solitary confinement; providing exceptions; requiring corrections officials to write a specified report if circumstances necessitate placing a pregnant prisoner in restrictive housing; providing requirements for the treatment of pregnant prisoners placed in restrictive housing; requiring pregnant prisoners to be placed in a designated medical housing unit or admitted to the infirmary under certain circumstances; expanding enforcement provisions to provide for grievances for violations relating to restrictive housing of pregnant prisoners, etc. '
HB 25 - Cannabis Offenses (2020)
'' ''General Bill by Jones (CO-SPONSORS) Cortes, J.; Eskamani; Geller; Grieco; Joseph; Mercado; Polo; Polsky; Sabatini; Stark'' Reduces criminal penalties for possession of specified amounts of cannabis & products containing specified amounts of THC; specifies that juvenile violators of certain provisions are eligible for civil citation or pre-arrest diversion programs.

Florida Senate

In 2020, Shevrin Jones ran in a crowded, competitive and closely watched primary race to replace term-limited Senator Oscar Braynon in Florida Senate District 35 to represent portions of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

over the closest challenger, former State Senator Daphne Campbell. Jones won the State Senate seat over three Tallahassee veterans — Campbell, Rep. Barbara Watson and former Rep. Cynthia Stafford — as well as Miami Gardens Councilman Erhabor Ighodaro and retired firefighter Wilbur Harbin. Jones also raised more money than all his opponents combined while developing a national profile of his own

Jones took to major news networks like CNN and MSNBC as well as local media to criticize the state’s contact tracing program and discuss the state’s response to the pandemic. The Florida Senate District 35 race was also notable because Jones’s opponents utilize
fake Barack Obama robo-calls
an
some targeted Jones for his sexuality in an attempt to connect with religious voters
At a February 2020 campaign event, then candidate Erhabor Ighodaro said he was the best option for voters because “There is an image that God says a marriage should look like, that families should look like. And that’s what we’re gonna fight for.” Jones and his campaign became victims o
homophobic robo-texts stemming from a ripped off version of a Miami Herald story about his attempt to donate plasma after recovering from COVID-19
The texts highlighted a Food and Drug Administration rule that men who have had sex with men in the last three months may not donate plasma, noting that Jones was turned away for donating because of his sexuality. Florida Senate District 35 comprises portions of both Broward and Miami-Dade counties and includes the cities of Miami Gardens, Miramar, Opa-Locka, Pembroke Park, Pembroke Pines, West Park and unincorporated parts of Dade. Following the 2020 Census and redistricting process, all State House, State Senate and Congressional seats in Florida are up for election in 2022. In early February 2022, the Legislature approved a redistricting plan for the Senate and House. In June 2022 Shevrin Jones qualified to run in the newly created Senate District 34, a heavily Democratic-leaning district which covers parts of Hialeah, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Opa-locka and all of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands and North Bay Village. BHM 1659

Notable Legislation

'
SB 630: Pregnant Women in Custody (2022)
'' ''GENERAL BILL by Judiciary; Jones (CO-INTRODUCERS) Powell; Taddeo; Torres'' Citing this act as "Ava’s Law"; requiring that every female who is arrested and not released on bond within 72 hours after arrest be administered a pregnancy test within a specified timeframe, upon her request; authorizing a sentencing court to stay the beginning of the period of incarceration for up to a certain time frame for a pregnant woman convicted of any offense; authorizing a sentencing court to order a pregnant woman to comply with specified terms and conditions during the stay of the incarceration, etc. '
SB 1054: Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools (2022)
'' ''GENERAL BILL by Hutson (CO-INTRODUCERS) Pizzo; Berman; Baxley; Simpson; Albritton; Ausley; Bean; Book; Boyd; Bracy; Bradley; Brandes; Brodeur; Broxson; Burgess; Cruz; Diaz; Farmer; Gainer; Garcia; Gibson; Gruters; Harrell; Hooper; Jones; Mayfield; Passidomo; Perry; Polsky; Powell; Rodrigues; Rodriguez; Rouson; Stargel; Stewart; Taddeo; Torres; Wright'' Citing this act as the “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act”; revising the requirements regarding financial literacy for the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards; revising the required credits for a standard high school diploma to include one-half credit of instruction in personal financial literacy and money management and seven and one-half, rather than eight, credits in electives; modifying the requirements for the award of a standard high school diploma for Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning options, etc. '
SB 236: Children with Developmental Delays (2022)
'' ''GENERAL BILL by Jones (CO-INTRODUCERS) Ausley; Powell; Berman; Taddeo; Gibson; Stewart; Bracy; Pizzo; Book; Torres'' Children with Developmental Delays; Revising the definition of the term “exceptional student” to include additional students with developmental delays, etc. '
SB 282: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (2022)
'' ''GENERAL BILL by Appropriations; Rouson (CO-INTRODUCERS) Jones; Book; Rodrigues'' Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders; Providing that the use of peer specialists is an essential element of a coordinated system of care in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental illness; revising background screening requirements for certain peer specialists; requiring the Department of Children and Families to designate managing entities to conduct or contract for training for peer specialists; requiring peer specialists and certain persons to meet the requirements of a background screening as a condition of employment and continued employment, etc.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Shevrin D. Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Shevrin D. 1983 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Florida Democratic Party Florida state senators Gay politicians LGBT African Americans LGBT state legislators in Florida Living people Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives People from Hollywood, Florida